I tickled Maddie's stomach gently and she squeaked giddily. She ran around in a few small circles in front of me before calming down. I was bubbling with excitement and I think it was rubbing off on her. When she finally calmed down she leaned up against the wall and simply stared at me with her tiny, beady, black little eyes. We snapped a few pictures together before she had to go and we said our goodbyes. Maddie the penguin...

I come from an extremely supportive family, community and school where I have always been encouraged to pursue my passions. I know that if I wish to do anything I have full support not only from my parents and brothers, but also from my school, teachers and community. At school I know the teachers have my back and support me no how many clubs and activities I take on. My school is a tight knit community and everyone is a...

For UCSB admissions we were given two smaller personal essays to write. One was whatever you wanted and the other was to describe the world you come from. I chose to write the open topic piece about the experience that changed my life and helped me decide what career I wanted and what I wanted to study in college. For the world I came from piece I described the academic world I come from and also my personal life. Both...

I was very fortunate in that my school offered college admissions counselors, if your school does not I highly recommend that you...

I chose the 5 schools to apply to because I was looking...

I love that my school in directly on the beach and that there is such a welcoming atmosphere. The culture...

I had my freshman and senior year Biology teacher write one letter or recommendation and my freshman, sophomore...

After enrolling and spending almost 3 quarters at University California Santa Barbara, I now know how poorly the UC system is run. They over enroll the university to get more students tuition but don't have enough housing, professors and even TA's for all the students they enroll. My classes fill up so quickly that most of the...